1893 - State Library Information Center

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTIONS OF BUREAUS. 63the economist. He gives as the result of his door-to-door visitationsin the East End and southeast of London, that of the fivemillions of inhabitants of that modern Babylon, one million anda-half, more than a quarter of the total population, do not earnmore than 18 English shillings per week for the family, and thatduring two, three and four months of the year short time andwant of employment reduce this amount very materially; andthis in the richest city of the world. Another evidence in thesame direction was the count made recently by the authoritiesin New York city to ascertain the number of unemployed. TheUniversity settlements, which are so rapidly increasing in themidst of the most densely populated portions of our own largecities, are giving facilities for observation and study in the samedirection; and the great attention which has beon paid to thecondition of the slums in all the overcrowded districts, both inEurope and in our own country, presents further proof of thetendency of economists to shift their point of observation. Therule has been to recognize only the wealth of nations ; atpresent, we are beginning to recognize the poverty existing as aproblem to be considered. While Adam Smith saw only thepower and influence which her ever-increasing exports andimports gave to the British nation, his disciples see the weaknessand danger that lies in the fact that a vast army of her laborersis without work or food and homeless, and that 40,000 childrenin its great metropolis go daily hungry to school.Thoro IB a demand for more specific information concerningthe HVOH ol the masses of tho people. It is observed that theufltinmtod general wealth of a country is no criterion to judge theconditions under which a majority of its citizens live. Statisticsthat relate only to the general increase of wealth, without determiningtho amounts shared by each individual, are of little itnportaneoin tho study of social conditions. For look where wemay, extreme poverty is greatest in communities where thegreatest amount of wealth iB centered.Thia iact of ineravmig poverty side by side with increasingwealth indicates the true mission of the teachers ot the scienceof social anil political economy, which is to show how the greatestnumber can be brought to enjoy the benefits of our present civilization,that by the application of scientific discoveries and ever-